Comments for Week 3

http://worldlitblogyo.blogspot.com/2011/09/book-theif-endless-moral-questions.html?showComment=1316777925148#c4338757098810455378

http://ncarter-morality.blogspot.com/2011/09/morality-through-literature.html?showComment=1316778562306#c8631064774406380930

http://codydaveyenglish.blogspot.com/2011/09/evolution-of-morality.html?showComment=1316778962204#c9162278554791175796

http://sally-girouard.blogspot.com/2011/09/cider-house-rules-characters-moral.html?showComment=1316779491767#c6969481413402927307

Together as a Unit

Throughout literature, different novels tell the stories of different characters. Every character has personal feelings, emotions, and morals much like real-life people. They have certain things that guide them, and act based upon their individual beliefs. In The Maze Runner by James Dashner, the story follows and entire community called The Gladers. While the main character is a boy named Thomas, his individual moral compass doesn’t stand for too much because all of The Gladers tend to stay together and work off of each other. While Thomas is the center of the story, The Gladers have a moral compass that they closely follow. It isn’t about the individual. It’s about all of them working together as a unit.

            The biggest aspect of all of The Gladers moral compass is togetherness. They all have different “ranks” and aren’t at the same level as one another, but they all play an important roll. When Thomas wakes up in the Glade, he doesn’t know anybody there, or even remember anything. Still he must make friends with the kids who make up the Glade, and work together with them to achieve a specific goal. He really can’t just choose to isolate himself, because he needs the others to survive.

            The Gladers and Thomas all have a certain goal. They all must survive. It may not technically be a moral at first glance, but survival is their way of life. They have to do anything to survive. Working together, they must make sure to protect one another and be there for each other when there are obstacles.

            They would never be able to survive in the Glade if they gave up. Thomas and The Gladers must always try their hardest. They experience failures trying to solve the maze while they are stuck in the Glade. However, they always have to keep trying their hardest in order to come up with different plans and strategies. At the beginning of Chapter 38, Newt says, “Closest I’ve come so far to hangin’ it all up. Shuck it all and kiss a Griever goodnight. Supplies cut, bloody gray skies, walls not closing. But we can’t give up, and we all know it. The buggers who sent us here either want us dead or they’re givin’ us a spur. This or that, we gotta work our arses off till we’re dead or not dead” (248). It’s like soldiers fighting together in a war. In war, a country’s military has a specific goal. There are scattered objectives throughout, but there is always one main goal that they work to accomplish before the war can end. They see defeats and death, but they always have to keep working, and continue to come up with better plans to accomplish the task. This is like Thomas and The Gladers. No matter the failures they go through, they have to keep trying, and solve the puzzle which tells them how to finish the maze. 

Believe In Yourself

Everybody has a moral compass, whether they are aware of it or not. Each and every person has something they live by. They take their moral compass into consideration every time there is a decision to make. My moral compass is made up of family/friends, happiness, excitement, and faith. My family and friends are the most important thing to me. They are always there, no matter what situation turns up. Just as important is excitement. Everyday can’t just be the same boring day. I have to be able to find excitement. Throughout life I hope to always experience new things and keep every day exciting.

Everything on my compass helps me to find happiness. With every decision, I need to choose what will make me happy. I need to do what is the right thing for me. Every unhappy day is a day wasted. What brings happiness to me is faith, or having something to believe in. It doesn’t have to be religion; it can be anything that guides you. I’m not necessarily the most religious person, but it helps to have something that I can turn to. I do believe there is a God, but I think there is something that must come first before believing in God. It is most important for me to be happy with myself, and feel good about my life. I have to think positive and be at peace with myself. When that has been accomplished, then I can turn to respecting God. I just have to respect myself first. It may sound selfish, but self-confidence and happiness have to happen first for me before I can be guided by anything else.

            I believe in a crisis, my moral compass could help guide me. I know I have family and friends to support me, and I know I have faith, happiness, and excitement in my life. I believe that while family can be very supportive, having faith and happiness are even more important. As long as I have self-confidence and something to believe in and work toward, no crisis is too big of a match

The Way I Am

Whether thought about or not, every human being has morals. Most believe in morals as the right thing to do. They believe in morals as doing something good and helpful. However, it doesn’t always have to be inside those boundaries. Morals do not exactly have to be something good. Morals are a way that each individual lives life. Everybody lives life differently. How somebody lives shows what their morals are.

            Everybody has a different definition of the word ‘moral.’ Some think that the moral thing to do is be kind to everyone, while others may think it’s all about having self-confidence and believing in yourself. One of the most influential ways of explaining your morals is through music. Many singers, rappers, and other music artists create songs that show their beliefs and morals. Eminem (Marshall Mathers) is one of the most famous and influential music artists in today’s society. He often tells true stories of his life and what he went through growing up within his music. He describes what it was like living in a trailer park and having a mother who cared more about drugs and alcohol than anything else. His story of how he became famous shows his dedication and perseverance and can spread a strong message. In his song “Lose Yourself” he advises that everyone should take every opportunity they get. Eminem describes the failures he went through, but he continued to try again with every opportunity. The most powerful line of the song is right at the end, in which he says, “You can do anything you set your mind to, man.” Eminem’s morals are to always use every opportunity you get, and set your mind to whatever you want to do.

            Everybody lives by different morals. Some might disagree with Marshall Mathers, while others are influenced by his life advice. No two people are the same, and no two people live their life exactly the same. Everybody has individual morals which translate to how they live. James Bond is a fictional character who has a ‘moral license to kill.’ His morals are to take care of the “bad guys” and leave the innocent people alive. There are many pacifists who do not believe it is right to kill anybody. However, James Bond has different morals, and believes it is okay to kill those who have murdered other people.

            We all have our own definition. We all have a different meaning. Everybody is different, and so are morals.